Ajarn
Sompong Wong-
dee, his first violin teacher, presents Annop with his official Certificate.

At the end of the academic year several senior students
at Payap’s Music Department are finishing their education with a Senior
Recital. Apart from being a kind of final examination, this also gives them
the opportunity to show their parents, family, friends and local music
lovers their artistic skills. Often teachers and other students join them in
this performance.

Annop Ruangmanee invited nine musicians to present with
him an interesting program entitled “Through the Time”. He started the
evening with a solo: the adapted “Prelude” from Bach’s Suite for Solo
Cello No.1, in G Major. It was a good opportunity to demonstrate the
beautiful, warm sound that is so characteristic for the viola, which in
other languages is sometimes referred to as an alt-violin or alto.

Next the Viola was joined by the violin, played by Ohm
Chanteyoon. Together they presented seven of Mozart’s “Twelve Duets”
in F, originally written for two horns. The duo impressed with a lively
rendition of these lovely compositions.

Annop
Ruangmanee opened his concert with a solo from Bach.

Moving to the Romantic period, Max Bruch’s “Double
Concerto for viola and clarinet” immersed the audience in a stream of Hochromantik
with a convincing interpretation by Annop, together with Ajarn Chaipruck
Mekara on clarinet, and Ajarn David Wilson, who represented the orchestra on
the piano.

The French Romantic period was represented by two
composers. Theodore Dubois wrote an intimate “Terzettino” for viola,
harp and flute, performed, in addition to Annop, by harpist Ajarn Judith
Utley and flautist Ajarn Pitijet Vichitporn. This trio continued with the
“Pasto-rale” from Claude Debussy’s ‘Sonate pour flute, alto et
harpe’.

The end of the program was dedicated to contemporary
music. The piano piece “Love and Longing”, part of the soundtrack of a
Korean movie, was arranged by Annop for a quartet: Worapa Liengphra-paipant
on oboe, Somphop Homsoi on violin, Bandit Sitson on cello and Annop on
viola. This wonderful arrangement deserves to be played again.

Apart from showing himself to be a promising artist, Annop Ruangmanee is
to be commended for his organizational skills, including the production of
an informative booklet as guide to this concert.

Music by
Dubois and Debussy was played by a trio with flute, viola and harp.

3rd Y’s Men’s Club garden party

Sandy Clark

Chiang
Mai Club president Orapin Lerttumnongtum with some of the members on stage.

For the third Y’s Men’s Club Chiang Mai annual
garden party, the community showed up in full force at the new ‘Green
Lake Resort’ and from all walks of life. On behalf of the Chiang Mai
chapter Club president Orapin Lerttum-nongtum welcomed members, friends and
guests who had come from as far as Hawaii and thanked everybody for the
support and the statement ‘to make a difference’.

President Orapin gave a short summary on the club
history for newcomers and explained that the first Y’s Men’s Club was
founded in 1922 in the USA, and has always been a service club to serve the
needy people in the community and to encourage leadership among its
members.

Funds were raised with a raffle during the country folk music afternoon
and will be used to improve life for street children, to teach and educate
them on ‘normal day routines’ such as hygiene and provide them with
necessities.

“To Be Number One” activities visited by HRH Princess Ubolrat

Preeyanoot Jittawong

Santisook
School’s “To Be Number One” exhibition.

A “To Be Number One” exhibition at Chiang Mai
University Convention Hall on February 16, was presided over by HRH
Princess Ubolrat, the patron of the “To Be Number One” project. Kad
Suan Kaew Department Store in association with Chiang Mai Provincial Public
Health Office organized the event.

The “To Be Number One” project was formed to
encourage social activities in the community including supporting members
who are from the private sector, government organizations and schools; and
HRH Princess Ubolrat awarded prizes to those who had achieved excellence in
the various activities. The Princess took great interest in the works of
members involved in drug prevention and viewed an exhibition about drugs,
AIDS and safe sex.

The total membership of the project in Chiang Mai is
409,089 comprised of 177 clubs, with 63 projects engaged in 45 different
activities. Furthermore, on February 4-5, 2006 “To Be Number One” teams
from Chiang Mai in the junior division, called Phrao and Morning Kids, won
the National “To Be Number One” Aerobic and Dancercise. The competition
was held in Bangkok.

There were representatives from 26 organizations attending the
exhibition at the CMU convention hall, joined by an enthusiastic crowd of
students and parents from schools all over Chiang Mai.

Little Cupid Boy and Girl 2006 contest

Chiangmai Mail Reporters

The
winners of the Little Cupid contest.

No Valentine’s Day would be complete without Cupid
firing his little arrows at lovers the world over. Central Airport Plaza
organized a Little Cupid Boy and Girl 2006 contest to give an opportunity
for children to show their talents on the occasion of Valentine’s Day.

The contest took place at Central Airport Plaza with
around 50 children taking part and more than 100 members of Aquarium Kids
Club dressed up as little cupids participating. The parade attracted huge
at-tention from the crowd owing to the presence of well known child star
Patrick Chanon Makornmanee, who flew from Bangkok for the occasion.

After the parade the little Cupid contest began with the competitors
presenting their talents to the judges. Each contestant was asked to give
their opinion of “the meaning of love”. There were many interesting
replies, but most of the children agreed that love is not just for
Valentine’s Day, but we should love everyday because love will make
everything delightful all the time. The contest was won by Christina
Bennuzero, second place going to Suttida Mahawan, with the third spot being
taken by Tomanas Patmetha. It was not recorded whether they were given new
bows and arrows!

Charity photograph auction for orphan’s education

Preeyanoot Jittawong

Prof.
Dr. Jurgen Zimmer, president of School for Life.

A charity auction was recently held at The House
restaurant with pictures by the French photographer Romain Philippon,
entitled “Mother Earth”, donated to support a local social project to
provide education for orphans in the north of Thailand.

Mother Earth was a photographic project in black and
white in which the artist produced 15 groups of photographs featuring
pictures of students in school life, graphically showing the life of
children who have no parents and where nature is their only shelter.

Romain Philippon has received awards from the Art Director Club of
France last year and his works have been exhibited in Paris and Saint
Denis. He wishes to help children in the School for Life project in Chiang
Mai, located in Doi Saket and operated under the Foundation for Thailand
Rural Reconstruction Movement. This organization provides management
knowledge for children orphaned by AIDS, poor children, and victims of the
Tsunami disaster. The money from the Mother Earth project will help School
for Life to buy land, the construction of buildings, hiring more teaching
staff and help to buy food and clothing for the children.